Nelson Mandela Sworn in as Democratic President

Nelson Mandela is sworn in as the first democratically elected President. Former President of South Africa and longtime political prisoner, Nelson Mandela, was held by the apartheid based government from 1964-1990 for sabotage. With the coming of a freer political climate, Nelson Mandela was released from his life sentence at Victor Vester Prison on February 11, of 1990. He went on to lead the African National Congress in negotiations with President F. W. de Klerk, that resulted in the end of apartheid and full citizenship for all South Africans. He and de Klerk received a joint Nobel Prize in 1993 for their efforts. Mandela was elected president in 1994. (Photo by © Louise Gubb/CORBIS SABA/Corbis via Getty Images)